I’m planning my first trip to Europe/Italy next year. I have the RS book Europe through the Back Door.
I’m thinking:
Venice 3 nights
Florence 3 nights
(Day trip to Siena from Florence)
Cinque Terre 2 nights
Rome 3 nights
I was originally doing V/F/R but decided to add C.T. to break up the cities. Is it worth it to add C.T. ? And how easy is it to get there by train? Is it better to go Venice to C.T. or Venice, Florence, then C.T. ?
I was going to purchase RS Best of Italy instead of the RS Italy guidebook because I’ll only be in each city a couple days. Has anyone purchased Best of Italy and was it sufficient? Do I also need guidebooks for each city too?
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
For the places you're going, and the limited time you have to spend, I think the "Best Of" book should be perfectly adequate.
When next year are you thinking about going? Many of us prefer to avoid Italy during the summer months (too hot, to crowded) and enjoy it more in shoulders season (around May or September). Something to consider if you can swing it.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
5730 posts
Is it possible to go to a library or a bookstore and browse your options?
Posted by
2 posts
I have Europe Through the Back Door and Europe 101. I also just got Best of Italy. I think it would be fully adequate. I'm planning a 17 day total trip, so 15 days sightseeing. I'm looking at a similar trip but doing Amalfi Coast rather than Cinque Terre because Pompeii is a must-see on my list.
Posted by
Folsom, California
540 posts
We used the regular guidebook for our trip in 2015. We visited most of what you are considering.
It is very easy to get to CT from Florence. We actually stayed 2 nights in Lucca, which I highly recommend.
I would do Lucca instead of CT.
We did Florence 4 nights, Lucca 2 nights, Venice 2 nights, Rome 4 nights.
From Florence we went to Siena, Montepulciano, Montalcino
Posted by
CA, USA
266 posts
I checked RS Rome out of the library and got all the info I needed to start planning. You could do the same with RS Italy.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11249 posts
For the time you have, the Best of Italy book likely would be sufficient.
To keep from spending so much of your trip packing and moving, I would drop CT and add at least one day to Rome and one more in Florence, since one of your days is a day trip to Siena. An alternative is to spend one night in Siena and add one more to Rome.
Just accept the fact you need to make another trip
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32222 posts
coco,
The Itinerary and order-of-travel for your first Italy trip looks good (IMO) and it will provide a good "sampler" to use for future trips and to determine which places you might want to return to. I'd leave the Cinque Terre on the list as it will be a nice break from the large cities. Is there any way you could add a few days to your trip? I assume you've allowed for your two air travel days? Which month is this trip taking place?
It's very easy to get from Florence to the Cinque Terre by train, but a few train changes are usually required. It's also easy to get from the Cinque Terre to Rome via one of the direct (no changes) trains from La Spezia Centrale. Travel time is about 3H:45M, depending on which train you choose. For your stay in the Cinque Terre, you'll have to decide which of the five towns you want to stay in (each of us here have a favourite, and I prefer Monterosso). I'd suggest getting accommodations booked there as soon as you have your dates finalized.
Regarding the guidebook question, my suggestion would be to buy the RS Italy 2019 guidebook as it will also be useful for future trips. The 2019 version is available now. Note that many of the guidebooks are also available as E-books in a variety of formats (Kindle, iBooks, etc.). I usually prefer a "hard copy" guidebook as it's more "user friendly", especially when looking at maps in the book. The Italy book should have all the information you need for each of the cities you'll be visiting.
There are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy. If you need more information on that, post another note here.
Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
OP
Florida
10 posts
Thank you all for your replies.
I originally planned a solo V/F/R RS tour for this month and I cancelled it because of the cost. I was paying a single supplement too.
Now I plan to go independently mid- May 2019 with my daughter who will be a new college grad. I figured 2 of us could go for the same or less money as for one RS tour. I decided to follow the route/#days of the RS V/F/R tour but added CT. It seems like a very doable trip on my own with the great train system. And I love to read and plan trips.
There is a waiting list for his library books. I may go to a bookstore here and look for them.
I need to ask off from work 6 months in advance to make sure I get the time off and that time is approaching quickly. So I need to figure out my itinerary and the best days to go in May. After that I can buy air tickets.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11249 posts
thriftbooks.com has a fairly good selection of RS books that are 1-3 years old ( under $5).... most things do not move much ... just need to follow up to verify hours and current prices